1Lt Jack E. Stocks (P) - Mission #291A was flown as CoPilot with a 381st
BG(H) crew. All other missions were flown as the crew Pilot. 35 mission combat
tour completed on 15 April 1945.

2Lt John F. Marsh (CP) - Flew on all of the crew missions with Lt Stocks.
Flew on mission 288 as CoPilot with another Pilot. Was upgraded from
CoPilot to Pilot on orders dated 01 April 1945. Mission 360 was flown as a
1st Pilot with another crew. 35 mission combat tour completed on 15 April 1945.

Mission Incident:
Mission #301, 13 January 1945 to Mannheim, Germany, in B-17G #43-38682 (No
name) (359BS) BN-X. Landed at airstrip Y-1 at Tantonville, France, 371st & 64th
Fighter Group P-47 base.
2Lt Ronald A. Anstrom (N) was badly wounded. Flak shattered bones in his
right leg, went through his left leg and out of his hand. A fire was started in
the nose. 2Lt James T. Steineman (B), gave first aid and put out the fire. The
B-17 stayed with the formation and bombed with the 359th BS formation. Over
the target at Mannheim, Germany the B-17 was again hit by flak that set the #4
engine on fire. It was extinguished and feathered. The #2 engine was also on
fire but could not be feathered. The left wing was on fire. 2Lt Jack E.
Stocks (P), left the formation five minutes later when he was unable to maintain
altitude. The oxygen system in the B-17s nose was out. Lt Stocks ordered Sgts Fiore
(R), Hamilton (BTG), Bates (WG) and Daniel (TG) to bail out. 2Lt Steineman (B)
moved 2Lt Anstrom, the wounded Navigator, to the catwalk area to prepare him
for bail out. Lt Anstrom felt that it would not be advisable for him to bail
out with his injured legs. About that time the Tantonville landing strip was
sighted. Flares were fired and with the assistance of 2Lt Marsh (CP) and Sgt
Copp (E) a landing was made with the wing ablaze. Lt Anstrom
were placed in the 21st General Hospital at Mirecourt. Sgt Daniel (TG) was
also hospitalized. The Pilot, CoPilot, Engineer and Bombardier returned to
Molesworth on 03 February 1945. Three of the crewmen who bailed out (R, BTG & WG)
returned to Molesworth shortly thereafter.

As an example of the poor communication at the time, the following letter was mailed to the Copp family one week after T/Sgt Copp had safely returned to Molesworth.